To true Walt , I am having to much enjoyment to worry about losing 5 mins off the life of a 14valt battery .Besides life is to short for that.
Cheers Ron.
I agree too, Walt. I guess I must be dreaming when I am out running my trains. I certainly agree with Ralph’s computations, but I know that there are many, many variables. As you stated, it is possible that the idle time, and the shorter car loads compensates for the losses during acceleration and deceleration. I’m kind of like Ron, I just enjoy running the trains. I too typically get about 5 hours of run time on my primary engine, and Aristo RS3 or Aristo U25. That usually includes some time of running on the mainline, and some time doing switching and stacking up cars ready to go out on the mainline.
Ed
Allen
Allen, I coudn’t agree with you more. I switched to batter power about 4-5 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made on my garden railroad. Sometimes I think I should have gone with HO when I started my railroad about 5- 5 1/2 years ago, but I could never give up my battery power!! I realize it isn’t necessarily the right answer for everyone, but for ME it is the only way to go! You have about 4 years on me, Allen, but I figure working on and running the trains is so much fun, and mentally stimulating, that it must be adding years to our life!![:)]
Ed
Have you checked out the new Aristo/Crest Revolution Train Engineer? DSS technology with 400 ft range, MU consisting, speed matching, bidirectional com, to mention a few. G scale Beta testing is about complete. There’s a lot of info on it from the beta testers in the Aristo Battery/RC forum. The manual is also available at the site. They are going to have an HO and O version of the Revolution soon.
I think RC self-propelled model trains is the way of the future. Why bother with master controls, boosters, power shields, sections, power panels, CVs, track cleaning…?
There’s also a combination of battery and track power to be considered. One could have just a few sections of powered track, maybe at a fueling station or water tower, where you stop and recharge through your trucks/wheels - kinda like the real world. How about just a few sections of powered track that you run through and charge up on the run? The vast majority of the track would be un-powered, though.
Just some food for thought.[:)]
DC
The lines between DCC and R/C are getting thinner and thinner, with many systems capable of handling both. Operationally, they’re virtually identical on a theoretical level; in some cases on a practical level. The buttons all do the same thing–make the train go faster, slower, change direction, blow whistles, ring bells, etc. The only difference seems to be where those buttons are on the controller, and how one goes about programming them. (There are some high-end functionality differences between various manufacturers, but that doesn’t affect the DCC-R/C debate.) It comes down to whether you want to clean track or install/charge batteries. In both cases, you’re going to have to open up the locos to install the electronics, so that aspect of the equation is a wash.
Personally, I’ve been running battery R/C for 25 years. Not having to worry about wiring your track is very liberating when it comes to designing your track plans. Fitting the batteries into the locos can be a bit problematic, but with enough ingenuity, you can make them fit.
If you’re planning on running many locos at once in M/U situations, track-powered DCC may be your better option, simply because that way you know all your locos are getting the same power, and that takes the worry of the middle of three locos’ batteries dying out of the equation. Also (as has been said above) having track power allows you to run lights, smoke, and trackside accessories with greater ease and less worry about battery drain. On the other hand, if your operations are simpler, then onboard battery R/C will serve you very well.
Later,
K
I think very soon the “classes” will have to change.
Every major system has some form of wireless control, and the users normally do not care how that part works (other than interference issues)
So, even now I can classify things like this:
-
Track power - unmodified locos - DC to the rails
-
Track power DCC
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Track power MTH (which is going DCC)
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Battery power DCC over the air (airwire, gwire), proprietary “decoders”
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Battery power proprietary over the air (everyone else), proprietary “decoders”
R/C systems are changing…
Regards, Greg
You forgot me, Greg.[sigh] - Track power proprietary over the air, proprietary “decoders” .[;)]
I do agree.
Don
Sorry Don! you are correct, and not a bad way to go!
Where are you in SD?
I’m in Carlsbad.
Regards, Greg
Greg,
Hi, neighbor. I’m in Ramona. I have a small HO layout at home, but do most of my running at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. I’m a member of the SDMRR club, and the only member with RC. That’s why I hang around the large scale and garden RR forums. I pick up a lot of good tips from you guys, and love to look at the photos.
Don
If you are intending to be out by the coast sometime on the weekend (unfortunately I have to work the rest of the week), drop me an email if you want to drop by and chat/run trains. I used to be in the N scale club at the museum.
Regards, Greg
That’s great, Greg. Thanks. I’ll be in touch.[:)]
What scale do you run? How big is your layout?
Later,
Don
You might want to visit my site, in my signature.
1:29, standard gauge equipment, there are pictures on my site, under progress and development. About 450’ of track so far, not big as I would like it, but small lot. SS rail, DCC and DC track power.
Regards, Greg
I’ll add my experiences. I use track power, constant DC, and DCC over the air, using the QSI/Airwire system. You could argue it’s the worst of both worlds, but it works very well for me–I can run multiple loos at once and MU them as well. The thing I like the most is the built in sounds and the way the sound responds to motor load. If I had a lot of extra cash on hand, I’d probably switch over to conventional DCC on the rails
Track cleaning is mostly a minor nuisance. I have about half brass and half stainless, and for the way I run, I’m not sure stainless is worth the extra money